China says Canada tariff exemptions extended further

China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu on Tuesday and said bilateral consultations had recently made positive progress, including a further extension of the relevant exemption measures under the preliminary joint arrangement struck in January, his ministry said on Wednesday. The statement did not elaborate on the extension, and Wang said China was willing to work with Canada to shorten the list of problems and lengthen the list of cooperation.

The January arrangement cut China’s combined tariff on Canadian canola seed to about 15 percent and suspended its anti-discrimination tariffs on Canadian canola meal, peas, lobster and crab from March 1 through the end of 2026, in return for a Canadian quota admitting 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles a year at the 6.1 percent most-favoured-nation rate. Wang said the two countries should consolidate cooperation in energy, agricultural and aquatic products and consumer goods, and expand it into advanced manufacturing, clean energy and smart agriculture.